The Trace Expert
by calleighstorres
Summary: Tim Speedle returns to the lab; One of the CSIs suffers a life threatening injury. Kinda AU? A story following the two trace experts. [ON HOLD]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI Miami, you already knew that though. **

**Authors notes - Tim is still alive and on the team - he was just on temporary leave for a gunshot wound. Eric and Calleigh didn't really want a new boy around and made it a bit difficult for him to find his place. Speedle returns - set in late season 3. Ryan is the fourth member of the team. :) AU.**

* * *

For the past year almost, Ryan had been working at the Miami Dade Police Department Crime Lab. The transfer hadn't been easy. He'd stepped on a few toes. Aggravated a few people. Not made too many friends, which was understandable though he hadn't meant to get in anyone's way. There was a vacant spot on the team and he took it. It wasn't Speedle's place, he was the fourth person on the front line.

All Officer Wolfe had wanted to do was to be a CSI. He hoped people would show my the way and help him be the best person he could be. However, that wasn't the case exactly. He'd been misdirected a few times. Left on his own with unanswered questions and received some awful resentment from the rest of the team. It made him feel like he just didn't belong. Ryan felt like he wasn't cut out for it. Like he would never get anywhere close to being a professional CSI. But he didn't want to make it seem like Horatio made a mistake picking him. He wanted this, so he carried on. Took the anger people took out on him. Occasionally he would argue it to their faces.

Determination to get the job done was what kept him in this. When he could've quit at any time. Leaving patrol did create waves with some of his patrol buddies. If he came crawling back, they'd laugh at him. Tell him he hopeless. The young man wanted to prove that he was cut out, on the side to him actually doing the job he wanted to do.

He was working on some evidence in the trace lab. He'd extracted it from the Vic's shirt as he was working on it. The out of place blood would be sent to Talcot in DNA afterwards. Ryan had just got the results from the maspec on the mixture. "Calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron.. this is cement."

Once he'd finished doing the analysis on the shirt, he bagged it and took the other things he found to the appropriate labs. DNA for the blood that didn't come from the wound the victim sustained. Firearms for the shell casing that had been hidden in the sleeve. This was a case he was mainly working on his own.

In the layout, Ryan observed the crime scene photos. He needed something (anything!) that would lead him to the killer. The cement was a start. There was a construction site not too far away, and he'd got the list of employees sent. Although, he hadn't got it yet. He was sure he said CSI Ryan Wolfe to the manager of the site. _Positive._ If someone else got it, that was because they jumped at the chance to take over his case. One he'd been assigned to.

"Wolfe, whatcha got?" Eric asked as he entered the room.

The younger man had not been talking to the older man after he left him at a crime scene. It only proved to him how much he didn't like him, and he already understood that. "Delko, give me the list." Delko held out the piece of paper. "This?" "Well what do you think I'm asking for?! Your resumé?!" The Cuban, taken back by his annoyance, gave him the employee list for the construction site.

"Need any help?"

"Depends if you're going to help me or abandon the case like you always do." Ryan remarked.

He assumed that him being available meant they got Calleigh's case solved. Eric had switched cases to help her instead. Horatio and Frank were dealing with things elsewhere in Miami which left the team on their own to deal with the rest of the case load.

Ryan looked over the list and found a familiar name that was also the name of the man who was plumbing. He lied. "Darren Vega. Coincidence." Wolfe took off his lab coat and left Eric in the layout without a word directly said to him. He had to get Vega back in the interrogation room for questioning because there's no way he could be in two places at once. And there was something fishy about working at places so close together. Especially with no solid alibi for the murder. The only reason they'd let him go was because before, there was no physical evidence. Until he found the cement. Which could only have come from the constructor's hands.

All he needed was DNA to confirm the blood was him, and he had his killer.


	2. Chapter 2

**PART 2. **

**Authors Notes - Sorry for making Eric kinda antagonistic in the first chapter, promise he won't be the biggest enemy in this story! :) Speed will appear soon, I promise. And Calleigh will make an appearance soon.**

The Hummer, followed by patrol cars, were chasing down Darren Vega who was driving a BMW along the freeway at 85mph. A few of the cars had drove ahead to keep him within range. They were going to get this guy, one way or another.

Ryan was driving his Department-Issued Hummer with his eyes on the road. He was not letting a killer get away. The blood had matched Vega and he now had probable cause to apprehend the idiot. He was driving just over 82mph. There wasn't a way he was going to risk almost getting killed because of this guy. He wasn't worth dying over. And he could hear the news helicopter above his vehicle.

This wasn't Ryan's first pursuit. He was former patrol for crying out loud. And they were going to stop this car before it left Miami for good. There was a warrant for his arrest sitting in Ryan's blazer pocket waiting to be issued. Vega was going down.

He could see a second Hummer emerge from behind the police cars. Ryan had company. But it wasn't Eric or Calleigh. It was Tim Speedle. Ryan wasn't sure why, or how, but that wasn't his main concern. He needed to stop this guy from escaping. Now he had the re-enforcement he was hoping for, it meant he pull a patrol trick on this guy.

"I'm going in." he radioed to Tim.

"Ok, I gotcha." Speed responded.

The former patrol officer picked up the pace as the patrol cars gave him room to drive past the whole scene. Ryan only had one shot at this. And he hadn't done it for a while. It was the wrong kind of U-turn that had earned him praise for quick thinking. He basically blocked the runaway car from going anywhere and the suspect was taken in by Homicide. So he had some idea as to what he was doing though he didn't really think about it too much. Otherwise he would be scared out of his mind.

Now ahead of all the cars, Wolfe pulled the turn and blocked the BMW. The patrol cars and other Hummer pulled up around it and Ryan got out, drawing his weapon, going to the drivers side of the BMW. He opened the door and pulled out Vega. "Darren Vega, you're under arrest for the murder of Valerie Jade."

"You can't do this?!" He fired back.

Ryan pulled out the warrant and handed it to him. "Oh yes I can. Officers, take him." The patrol officers led him to the car, while Tim went to see the young CSI.

"Wow. Good job. I've heard some pretty interesting things about you, Wolfe."

Wolfe smiled. "You're Tim Speedle, right?" "In the flesh." He nodded. Ryan has always looked up to CSI Speedle, just based on what he saw of him on TV. He wasn't perfect with his equipment but he was a great investigator and CSI. Which is why he was so successful in his career. They shared a meaningful handshake, before the two men parted ways and took their separate Hummers back to the Crime Lab.

Ryan wasn't going to get involved with the press. He wouldn't let it almost ruin him again. Especially with Erika Sykes being the bitch she was to him. They drove straight past the built up press and continued their journey back. He was sure the news had enough content of the chase and how it ended. They couldn't get much close up and luckily he couldn't be identified without proper analysis of the clip. Which nobody in their sane state of mind would bother doing. He was a police officer, doing his job.

* * *

Back at the lab, after Vega had been taken away, Ryan was sat in the locker room. He should be happy. And he was. But he knew he would get scrutiny for refusing help from Eric. He had justified reason though. The guy humiliated him. Always had. And he didn't want that while he was actually lead for a case.

Calleigh had heard about what happened with Ryan in the layout and wanted to find out if he was okay because there was obviously something bothering him. He never really expressed his feelings so she never knew what he was feeling. She hoped he trusted her enough to be honest to her. Because in true terms, she really did care if something was bothering him. A year was more than enough to know that someone has your back.

When she got to the door of the changing room, she saw him on the bench with his head hanging low. The blonde saw this as her cue. Otherwise she'd be watching him cry again. And that was the last thing she wanted. If it wasn't for him, they wouldn't have gotten her dad's case solved as efficiently as it was. And she wouldn't get another mentoring opportunity.. he was worth the effort.

She walked over to him and bent down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ryan," He didn't look up. "I'm fine, Cal." The younger man lied. Calleigh shook her head. Of course she expected it, but it did hurt that he didn't trust her enough. Or he didn't want to.

"Can I sit?"

That caused him to look up. His eyes were bloodshot and there was redness in his cheeks. "Okay." He moved over and she sat beside him. There wasn't a point hiding now she'd seen that he was crying. Calleigh was the only person in the whole lab that had ever seen him breakdown the way he did prior to this.

"I know you don't want me here.. but believe me, Ryan, I only want to check up on you. This- this concerns me. You're upset. Unhappy. Angry. Just explain it to me." She said in a voice that made him shiver. It was soothing and calmed him nerves weirdly enough. He did trust her, he just wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he was about to say. The truth.

Calleigh just hoped he would let her in. "I've constantly thought about going back to patrol.. I can't though. I burned a lot of bridges becoming a CSI and I'm still unsure if it's worth it. I'm a black sheep in a field full of white. I don't belong. People don't want me here. I'm _nothing,_ Calleigh! Is that what you want me to admit? That I've **failed** to be a good criminalist?!" His voice started to rise and even he was scared of what he would say. He might offend her. That's what he was really afraid. She was the only person that didn't fully resent him when he got there.

He went to get up, however, he was stopped by Calleigh who sat him back down. "Ryan.. look at me." Water was starting to form in his tears ducts and he didn't want to be the burden who gave her a hard time. His pretty hazel eyes met her sea green ones. She wiped his eyes with the handkerchief he once gave her. That made him laugh to himself. _Wow._

"You are anything but a failure, Ryan. Don't ever tell yourself that you aren't worthy of being a good CSI because you _are._ You're learning. And I'm truly sorry if we made you feel the way you do. It hurts me that you think we don't want you because that's not true. We were all just missing Speedle a lot and took out our anger on you, which wasn't at all okay. You have every right to be mad.. and know that I do understand."

Ryan wasn't sure what to say in response. Maybe it was his anger issues. Or people that triggered it. "Thank you. Sorry I wasted your time I-" "Stop apologizing, you haven't wasted my time." She reassured him, rubbing his shoulder in comfort. Her touch made his whole world crumble around him. It was like a sudden warmth shot through his body. And he wasn't used to that. So it did make him a little nervous. He'd get used to it eventually. At least he now knew she was there if he did need someone to talk to. Calleigh wouldn't leave him to suffer.. would she?


	3. Chapter 3

**PART 3. **

**Authors Notes - A little more Speedle content in the first part. "Lost Son" (3x01) was a sad episode you know. And the previous chapter like, killed me too. Sorry for the Wolfe whumpage in advance. I'm watching Season 7 and like CRYING at the (lack of) CaRWash scenes. Anyways- on with the fanfic. This is inspired by Bring Me To Live by Evanescence.**

* * *

_Wake me up, wake me up inside_

_I can't wake up, wake me up inside_

_Save me, call my name and save me from the dark_

_Wake me up, bid my blood to run_

_I can't wake up, before I come undone_

_Save me, save me from the nothing I've become_

* * *

Tim went to Fingerprints to find Eric who was working on getting the prints from the suitcase of the newest victim. He'd been assigned to the case in place of Calleigh, who decided to work the beach house case with Ryan. He would have been happier if he hadn't heard about the argument with Wolfe because he seemed like such a nice kid. Good cop. And he'd approved him as his replacement too. Before he came back. Horatio showed him his personal file and he was beyond amazed by his spotless record. There wasn't a way any other person in patrol would top that. No wonder he was on his way up the ranks.

"Speed, hey!" Delko exclaimed when he saw his best friend.

Speedle waved. "Hey Delko, how's it going?" "Ahh, you know. Same old." Tim wanted to believe him but he'd been told Eric had been using the new kid as a target to project his anger onto. He needed to cut the boy some slack. Anyone could see that. Calleigh said he felt like he didn't belong, and with them being the closest colleagues on the job - that didn't sit right with him. It gave him a sickly feeling.

"What's been happening with you and Wolfe?"

"He got mad at me because I had his list. Then he realised something and didn't even tell me. Turns out he put the guy away. Found that out via the news."

Tim leaned against the counter. "Ever supposed that you've done something to make him not trust you? Apart from taking the list he needed to connect his killer to the crime scene?" Eric scoffed. "No?" The Cuban wasn't even sure what he'd done to piss off the youngest CSI but whatever it was, he wasn't taking it lightly. "You left him at a crime scene, when he was still learning. The kid had to hitch a ride with a patrol officer." They were interrupted by Paula, who handed Tim his new lab coat.

The best friends awkwardly stood there. Their friendship was falling apart in a matter of seconds. "We'll talk about this later, right now we have a case to solve. The trace evidence is calling you." Speed nodded, chuckling at the last comment, and walked off to Trace.

Now Eric knew why Ryan was mad at him, he did wish the younger man hadn't been so vague and made it clear why he was upset.

* * *

Horatio had just gotten back to the lab, when he received a call from Calleigh.

"Caine."

"Horatio, it's Calleigh. Ryan was shot. It's not good."

The lieutenant's worry grew. "Where is he shot?" "They aren't sure yet. He's been taken to Dade Memorial."

"Hold on ma'am, I'll meet you there." Calleigh agreed, he ended the call and made his way to the elevator. His newest team member was dying and he wanted to be there for him. Especially when it was unclear where his wound was.

He got into his Hummer and put on his sirens, rushing to the hospital. Ryan Wolfe could die. That was the worst thought that ran through his mind. The lieutenant couldn't bare to lose his most recent addition to his team. Ryan was the youngest and the most vulnerable. It was only today he had heard of how he felt like he didn't fit in and had thought about going back to patrol. That made him doubt the members of his team. For a second. Wondering how he could feel that way. What happened. And why. Because he was so busy, he never had the time to sit down with him and ask.

The young man was like a son to him. Just like all his CSIs. How he got shot was beyond his knowledge. But he would find whoever shot him and he would kill him. Nobody attempts to murder his team and gets away with it. Never. Horatio prayed that he would make it. The boy was strong, and he didn't doubt his will to survive.

Ryan hadn't told anyone about his time in patrol. Shot twice. Took a deep graze to his shoulder and a bullet to his side. The doctors had managed to get the bullet out of the second wound and they found the shooter. Turns out it was the same person. The medical files documented the injuries he sustained and they looked extremely painful. Nor Eric, Alexx or Calleigh had seen that part of his background. Speedle had though. Which is why he had such respect for such a young man who had been through so much already. He was 24 years old. And didn't even tell anyone when his birthday was.

When he arrived at Miami Dade Memorial Hospital, he met by Calleigh Duquesne who didn't look herself. She had stitches on a gash that was on her forehead and her blonde locks were all over the place. Plus her shirt had a blood stain on it. They sat down in the waiting area and talked.

Calleigh explained that they'd gone to talk to a possible suspect. The guy put out a gun and Ryan pushed her to the ground when the gun was aimed straight at her. The bullet hit him and he fell beside her, with blood spilling out. The blood on her shirt was from sitting him up so he wasn't completely immobilized on the ground. She'd used her blazer to apply pressure to the bleeding and slow it down a bit. That made sense to the lieutenant. The blood pattern was too irregular to be hers when she didn't sustain any major injuries.

"I should've seen it coming." she told Horatio, sighing to herself.

"There wasn't a way you could've known. He's going to pull through, Calleigh."

The blonde nodded, not so convinced. "This isn't his first gunshot wound. He's a survivor." Calleigh gave her boss a funny look. She had no idea. She'd thought he was completely new to all of this. Though, it did explain why he was collected, despite being heavily injured. All they could do was have hope. And hope was all it would take.


	4. Chapter 4

**PART 4. **

**Authors Notes - The team set out to find the person who shot Wolfe. **

* * *

Ryan drowsily opened his eyes. He was laying in a hospital bed with all these things around him and a tube attached to him going through the inside of his body. He scanned the room and saw Calleigh by the door on the phone to someone. Still under the after effects of anaesthesia, there wasn't much he could do. He couldn't speak either. All he could do was move his hands and feet, along with his neck the slightest bit. At least he knew he wasn't completely paralyzed.

Calleigh turned around, talking to Horatio on the phone. She saw he was awake and almost dropped her phone. "He's awake, Horatio. I'll call you later." The blonde put her phone away and sat down beside his bed. Though he couldn't say anything, that didn't mean he didn't have anything to say.

"You can hear me, can't you?"

The younger man raised his hand and did a thumbs up. Calleigh smiled. "I was afraid I was going to lose you." She placed a hand beside his on the bed. Even though she was smiling, he could tell that this had scared her. A lot more than he assumed it would. He moved his hand to grab hers and hold it gently, squeezing it as reassurance. She noticed his movement. Him being awake was the most important thing. He'd been asleep for quite a few hours.

"You don't need to try and make me feel better." Ryan just about nodded. Only just. Calleigh rested her hand on his cheek. She didn't know how else to reply. Wolfe wasn't sure if he would be able to risk raising his arm like that. He'd been alive long enough to know he would do it anyway. Because he was curious. And didn't want to leave her hanging.

Slowly but surely, Ryan lifted his hand up and placed his hand on her cheek. His thumb grazed it as he kept eye contact. Calleigh briefly closed her eyes, allowing the feeling of his skin on hers to sink in. Because it wasn't your average humanly touch. She felt enlightened by it. Warmer. Kinda nervous. He was there. She had a friend in him. That was clear.

* * *

With confirmation his CSI was alive, Horatio resumed his work on the most recent callout. That was the best feeling. Knowing he'd done it. That they'd prayed enough for the poor guy. He'd survived another shot at him. Third one in his law enforcement career.

As for Speedle, when he heard about Ryan being shot - he was scared for him. It was an awful shot. Almost took him out by piercing his stomach. But the shooter had missed any vital organs, although, he had hit something which burst and caused the excessive bleeding. The doctors had managed to stop the bleeding and patch up the wound before he died from it.

Calleigh, after having a very useful conversation with Ryan, managed to determine the appearance of the shooter. He would blink once for yes, and twice for no. She was running it through facial recognition in hope of getting a match. For Ryan. Because after what he'd been through, it was important they found the shooter and got the guy off the streets.

Eric had no idea what was happening until he met with Speed and Calleigh in the layout. Calleigh had a 9mm round in an evidence bag and was wearing a different shirt as her blouse was bagged too. Ryan's clothes were also bagged and tagged, lying on the desk.

"What's Wolfe's stuff doing here?"

The other CSIs stared at him blankly. Nobody had told him. "Ryan was shot in the line of duty. We are trying to find the person who shot the gun that almost killed him." The ballistics expert explained. Eric's facial expression dropped. "Shot? When?" Tim told Eric that they had been ambushed while talking to a suspect. He'd been missed out on information like that. And he felt two ways about it.

Though he was annoyed, the Cuban decided that finding the shooter was more important than creating more tension within the team. So they all took so evidence and got to work. Calleigh took all Firearms related evidence to Ballistics, Speed took the clothes and that left Eric with the business card of the suspect. He could pull some prints off it. Hopefully. Because somebody had to know he and Calleigh were following up on a lead that led to their suspect.

In Trace, Speed got to work on the clothes. Taking pictures of the blood patterns and dissecting sections to be sent to DNA for blood analysis. He also found some residue in the shape of a hand print on the sleeve of Ryan's shirt. Which made no sense as Calleigh was to his right side at the time of the shooting and was wearing gloves. So he ran the residue through the maspec and awaited an answer. This could be a huge break in the case. Duquesne did say that they had encountered a man who tried to attack Wolfe, but he stopped him and had him removed from the scene. If Ryan had a good look at the shooter - it meant they had his face and possibly a place of work.

While looking over the bullet, Calleigh's laptop started beeping. The Ballistics expert, both confused and in awe, checked the notification on her laptop. It was from the facial recognition she'd ran on the face Ryan helped her construct. There was a match. To an Anthony Riddell. Time for assault and battery. Assaulted a patrol officer. There was motive. He was right.

She phoned Horatio ASAP. "Caine." "Horatio, it's Calleigh. There's been a match on the face Ryan helped me construct based on what he remembered about the shooter." Horatio was ready to hear anything about the guy who shot his CSI. They were going to find him and make him pay for what he did.

"What's his name?"

"Anthony Riddell. Did time for assault and battery."

"Okay. Update Eric and Speed, then we'll look into finding Riddell."

"Okay." She ended the call and paged the other two to meet her in the layout. As long as they all had similar results, they had their man. Who shot Ryan Wolfe.

Half an hour later, all three were back in the layout with results to share. "Eric, what did you get from the card?" "Prints from the business guy, John Bridgestone and a convict, Anthony Riddell." Calleigh nodded. Then they turned to Speed. "The residue on Ryan's shirt was compounded metals, like from a factory or something.."

Eric and Calleigh sighed. It was a compound they'd seen from a previous case. One from a factory that they were sure had closed down. Which meant whatever was inside the shut down warehouse, was not what anyone would've thought. It ran much deeper. Ryan was targeted.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We have enough physical evidence, now all we need is a warrant for his house and the warehouse."

That's when Horatio arrived holding a document. "Got a warrant."

All three smiled at their boss. They were finally going to get the man.

* * *

Horatio, Speed and Eric went to the house first. With patrol officers as their backup, Eric kicked the door open and they looked around for Riddell. "Miami Dade Police!"

They split up and searched the house. Eric took the basement, while Horatio took the upper floor and Speed canvassed the area. If they didn't find him here, it meant he was at the warehouse. And they could only imagine what was inside that place.

Delko found a list of units in the Miami Dade Police Department. Homicide, SWAT, CSI.. etc. The CSI one had been crossed off, with words noted under it.

"_Killed a CSI by shooting him. On request of Mario Carvalho." _

It didn't make Eric feel any better, only worse that the last time he spoke to Wolfe - they were arguing. He bagged the notebook and headed upstairs to join the lieutenant and the trace expert. Speed had found a gun hidden in a drawer. "Mario Carvalho hired a hit on Wolfe." "So Riddell.. is a hitman." Horatio mused.

There was another place they needed to go. The warehouse.

At the warehouse, it looked isolated but that didn't mean there was nobody there. CSIs were trained to think outside the box. They surrounded it from all ends and made their way inside.

They could hear the sound of people running. Heavy footsteps from all corners of the building. "Miami Dade PD!" The first man to turn around was in fact the hitman, Riddell. "Lieutenant Caine." He stated, smirking. Horatio hated seeing him so smug. It angered him that he was proud of almost killing his CSI.

"You're going away for a very long time, Anthony."

"Poor me? You've lost your CSI. The short one with the green eyes."

"Don't you worry about him.. Officers!"

Patrol handcuffed him and led him away. All three watched as he was shoved into the police car, along with the rest of the guys that were put in separate cars as they had tried to run away. Including Mario. "We got him, H." Eric said in disbelief. "We do." Horatio said with a smile. That was justice for Wolfe right there. He deserved it.

"Shall we, gentlemen?"

Eric and Tim nodded, following their boss to the two Hummers outside. They did it and it called for a celebration.

* * *

At the hospital, Calleigh went to go see Ryan after her shift. He was laying asleep peacefully. That was probably the first time after his surgery he'd had a proper rest. It made her smile. She sat beside his hospital bed and gently pushed his hair back with her hand.

"We found the person, he's in prison now.. thanks to you."

He was recovering. It would be a while.. but for now, just knowing he was alive was a good sign.

The older woman was taken by surprise when he lifted his hand to her face, without even being able to see her. She didn't know how to react. It was telling her that he was there. And though he was currently unable to speak, he could show his comfort in a different way.

When Horatio arrived, she whispered "Goodbye." to him and left the room so they could talk alone. Ryan wasn't fully able to respond; he knew what was going on though. Calleigh felt guilty because he took the bullet. But it didn't matter all in all. They found the shooter, and nobody else got hurt in the process. He'd heard the doctors talk. He almost flatlined. They managed to save him though.

Caine stood at his side. This was the most pale he had seen the boy. "Mr Wolfe, you rest and get better soon..okay?" Ryan did his utter most best to nod. It had shined some light on his day.. seeing how strong Wolfe was in conditions that weren't exactly desired.

It did make him incredibly sad to see his newest recruit in a condition he shouldn't be in. Not with it being a year since he was selected to join the team. Horatio wanted to assure this wouldn't happen again. He'd kill for any of his team. If it meant keeping them alive. That's what he'd do.

Though Ryan hadn't had the best start, he'd made it work. And that's what he admired about the young man. He wouldn't give up, even when he was told to. Because he was set on justice for those who needed it. That's what made him a great candidate. It was why he picked him out of the many that had applied for the vacancy. Speedle had even suggested him. Which meant he had potential that was seen by many more people than just him.

He would be out of the bed in no time. That's what was great about a survivor. They knew how to stand after a fall. And that's what he was.


	5. Chapter 5

**PART 5. **

**Authors Notes - Tim and Delko talk about their relationship. Speed's wife is questioning their closeness; Horatio is forced to find a temporary successor for Ryan Wolfe. **

* * *

Since being back at work, Speedle's wife hadn't really heard much from him that week. It was either he was working late or went out with his best friend, Eric Delko. Madison didn't want to admit it.. but she felt like a third wheel whenever Delko came over. They were close. Sometimes it did make her feel a little out of reach from Tim. Maybe she was just jealous of not spending most of her day with Speed like Delko did.

"Mads?" Speedle entered their apartment and found her lying on her back on the white loveseat. He wasn't sure what was going on because she was dressed in lingerie. Like she was trying to.. seduce her husband? Tim didn't get it.

"Maddie, why are you dressed like that?"

"Oh hey Timmy.. I was waiting for you." She arose from the loveseat and ventured over to her husband.

Out of all the things Tim had seen in his time, this was most definitely unusual. She'd never done this before. "Honey.. don't you want to?" she asked, sounding slightly self conscious. Tim wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled. "Of course. Just wondering what brought up all of this?" He kissed her shortly. Madison pursed her lips. "I don't know.. I guess I just wanted to make sure you're not sharing yourself."

Those words had sparked the investigator in him. "What do you mean?" He pulled back from her. Madison instantly realised how bitchy it sounded. "You and Eric.. you're very close and it makes me feel left out." Tim sighed. "Maddie, I married you. Eric is my best friend. It's natural for us to be close."

She shrugged. "I don't know. You've gotten too close at times."

Tim tried to understand where she was coming from.. however, he didn't really get what she meant. Not the way she saw it anyway.

_Eric was sat back on his couch, waiting for Speed to bring over the popcorn. He had been waiting for a while and was starting to get a little impatient. "Speed? How long does it take to open a bag of popcorn?" _

_Tim came over with a bowl of popcorn and placed it on the wooden table as he sat beside his best friend. "Calm down you baby. Can't you wait 5 minutes?" "I'm not a baby." Eric said defensively. Speed chuckled and rolled his eyes, leaning back a bit more. _

_A few minutes into the movie, Eric got bored and decided to start talking to his best friend instead. "Oh c'mon.. not everybody thinks about their friend as more than a friend; the guy is having an affair with his best friend! How ridiculous." That comment made Speedle a little uncomfortable with himself. Because he had wondered what it would be like if he'd ended up with someone else. But he knew that was just his mind exploring impossible possibilities. _

_Eric had always been a little jealous of Madison, getting Tim's attention more when they weren't at work. That's why he liked when they had time alone. It was a time when they could really be themselves and not worry about being mistaken for a couple.. or brothers. Sometimes it happened. And Maddie didn't like it one bit. He couldn't help it though. They were just close. _

Speedle, despite thinking about when he wondered about him and Eric, told himself that it was just a silly thought. "There isn't a thing as being 'too close'. It's about trust." Madison felt guilty about her accusations. Even though she didn't want to be. It just happened to be that her trust for her husband was degrading.

* * *

Calleigh was out shopping as she needed some new clothes. She was walking through the mall when she someone knocked her off her feet. It was Jake Berkeley. "Let me help you. I heard what happened to Wolfe.. real shame." The blonde didn't want to acknowledge him. Because he didn't actually care about Ryan, or her feelings. All he wanted was sex. The guy was useless as much as he was a cheater. 100%. He'd used her too many times and she wasn't going to let him do it again.

"Leave me alone, Jake." she picked up her bags and stormed off, though he chased after her as she began to speed walk. It was starting to really piss her off.

This was the jacket she'd wanted that Ryan had gotten her for her birthday. No less than a month ago. Berkeley ruining it would be the death of him. Seriously. "Get away from me before I report you for harassment." Jake eventually gave up. He couldn't risk getting arrested like that. Any time he was about to get convicted, he pulled out. It was too soon.

Calleigh took this opportunity to get as far away as possible. She exited the mall and made her way to her car. This was when she wished she hadn't gone alone. He wouldn't have bothered if she was with one of her friends, that was for sure. At this point, she needed a restraining order on his ass. Otherwise he'd be finding any reason to continue stalking her. It was getting out of hand.

* * *

Horatio was standing outside the Crime Lab. If his lab was targeted, it was most likely because of a gang.. or a person with a grudge. Though it had been a week since Ryan had been shot, he couldn't help but feel like they were shot at because of their affiliation with him.

"Horatio." a voice said.

He turned around and saw Stetler standing behind him. "Yes Rick?" "You're going to need to find a replacement for Officer Wolfe." The redhead looked up at the sunset. There was no doubt that IAB would be involved in this. And would recommend he started looking for possible replacements.

"Until Mr. Wolfe gets better." He added.

Settler took a deep breath. "Wolfe is on sick leave for the next three months, you're going to need a long term temp." Horatio wasn't sure how he was going to do that. Ryan was not someone who could just be replaced like he was never there. The young CSI was worth a lot more praise than that. He deserved better than that. But he supposed that he'd have to find a temp, to keep the peace. He'd had enough trouble for the scrutiny of how Tim handled his firearm. There was no reason for Ryan to be judged for putting a colleague before himself.

"I'll get back to you, Rick." Stetler nodded, patting his shoulder as he left the Crime Lab premises. Finding someone to fill in for his son-like team member wouldn't be easy at all. Not in the slightest.

The next day, Horatio was sat in his office going through files of CSIs from other police departments. Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles.. so many people to choose from. Or Miami Dade itself. It was about finding someone who would be a great asset to the team. For their knowledge and their skill. Preferably someone who was already a CSI. Judging by all the files, they wanted a choice very soon. And he wasn't sure if he could do it.

The list was interesting.

_1\. Carly Santiago - 27, LAPD CSI (day shift), A/V specialist, Level 2 CSI _

_2\. Jackson Hunter - 32, Chicago PD CSI (night shift), Trace & Ballistics expert, Level 3 CSI _

_3\. Joanna Lowe - 35, LVPD CSI (day shift), DNA expert, Level 2 CSI _

_4\. Brianna Davies - 37, Boston PD CSI (day shift), DNA, Trace & Ballistics expert, Level 2 CSI. _

_5\. Georgia Thompson - 29, MDPD CSI (night shift), A/V specialist, Level 2 CSI _

_6\. Nina Carmen, 30, MDPD CSI (night shift), Ballistics expert, Level 2 CSI _

_7\. Luna Nelson, 25, NOPD CSI (day shift), Trace expert, Level 2 CSI _

_8\. Nikolas Rivas, 24, NYPD CSI (night shift), Trace expert, Level 3 CSI _

_9\. Morgan Richards, 36, Chicago PD CSI (day shift), QD analyst, Level 2 CSI _

_10\. Allison 'Ally' Wilde, 30, LAPD CSI (night shift), Fingerprints specialist, Level 2 CSI _

Horatio had people listed from a few reoccurring police departments. And one from Boston PD. Which he thought was a bit insulting to Ryan Wolfe, who was from Boston. His day was going to be filled with interviews for the candidates. And it wasn't going to be easy. Not in the slightest.

"Horatio." The redhead was met with the medical examiner. "Alexx, hey." "I heard what happened to Ryan and I couldn't help but wonder what's going to happen." Caine wasn't really sure of what to tell her. That they had to replace their like-son for another CSI until he came back to work in a good condition. "Don't lie to me, Horatio." "I'm not, Alexx.. it's just.. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do."

The medical examiner huffed. "Trying to find a successor?" "More like trying to please the higher ups. Do I go with someone that has similar strengths to Mr Wolfe.. or someone with different ones?" Alexx smiled. "Go with your heart, honey." Horatio nodded to her. They shared a hug before she had to get back to the morgue and he had to make his decision.

He had a Ballistics expert. A trace expert. And Eric, who was good for drug identification, fingerprints, tire tracks and fishing for evidence underwater. Ryan, as well as being a Trace specialist, he also specialised in A/V and DNA. That's what interested him about the former patrol officer. Smart kid he was. Smarter than he looked. It was going to take a genius to replace him as 'the new kid'.

From the next hour, Horatio was knee deep in interviews with all the people on the list. Some had travelled far, others just a few hours. Or minutes.

The last person on his list was Brianna 'Bree' Davies, the girl from Boston. "So Bree, why do you want to work for CSI here?" "Well, in Boston it was great.. but I recently moved to Miami and I want to continue my career out here. Justice is most important to me and I just want to be able to put away those who need to be taken off the streets. Forensic evidence is good for that. That's why I wanted to expand my knowledge." The lieutenant nodded.

He had a tough decision to make. For the sake of his team.


	6. Chapter 6

**PART 6. **

**Authors Notes - Brianna was chosen as the newest member of Horatio's team. Based on the team's personal opinions and her resumé. **

* * *

Brianna found the empty locker at the end of the rows of lockers. She had walked past the one that said 'WOLFE' on it. Of course, she knew that she wasn't going to be accepted straight away. They missed Officer Wolfe. Which was understandable. She heard he only just made it off the tubes. She put her stuff in her locker and put on her new MDPD badge. It was shiny and much nicer close up.

"You're Bree, right?" Delko had heard there was a temp joining the team and wanted to make a good first impression.

"Yeah.. I moved here from Boston." Those words made Eric feel bad. Wolfe was from Boston too. He pushed aside the urge he had to say that out loud and tried something else. "Cool, cool.. I've lived around here for a while." Davies nodded. They started talking and he told her about what usually happens. He offered to show her around. She agreed as she didn't really know much about where everything was in the lab.

Bree closed her locker and followed the one she knew to be 'Eric Delko' around as he showed her where everything was. On their way, they came across Tim Speedle. "Hi, you must be Davies?" "That's me." She confirmed, shaking hands with him. Tim had to admit, it was weird seeing someone else instead of the other Trace specialist. The last handshake he had was with Ryan. So it was very deja vu. He'd chosen the last person Horatio hired.. he barely knew anything about this girl from Boston. All he knew was that she had expertise in the same things Ryan did. Only she didn't spend all her time schooling in Boston. She went to boarding school in another state. People could argue she knew more than he did. Others would argue that where you went to school didn't matter — it was about what you did with that knowledge.

"We have two callouts. Who is going where?"

All three looked at Calleigh. "Cal, you go with Speedle. I'll take Davies." Duquesne and Speed nodded to their colleague, going towards the elevator to attend their callout. Eric half smiled at Bree. "You've got your first Miami callout, B." "It seems I have." The two scurried off to meet the lieutenant at the Hummer.

* * *

At Miami Dade Memorial Hospital, Wolfe was no longer relying on tubes for his breathing. He was now breathing on his own. Although he had to remain in hospital until he was given a clean bill of health. Until then, he was confined to the premises of the hospital. Alexx had gone to visit him as it was her day off that day. She hadn't had a chance to go to the hospital because of the bodies piling up in her morgue. Having that time was great.

"Hi baby." She cooed as she entered his hospital room and saw him standing by the window, looking outside. Ryan looked over his shoulder. "Hi Alexx." He replied. The M.E. walked over to him. "You shouldn't be standing up." The younger man shrugged and smiled. "My doctor said I could, I just have to take it easy."

Dr Woods was no stranger to his stubborness. It didn't faze her. Only this time, he had good reason to be in the right. "You really need a haircut baby." "I know, Alexx. I don't like having stubble." She could see how antsy he was, despite the fact he had been taking his OCD meds along with the painkillers. Partly why he was a bit drowsy. It's a lot of medication to take in.

"Baby boy, you should get some rest."

Ryan rolled his eyes, but complied to what Dr Woods pleaded and went back to his bed. "Only because you're the professional." He said. Alexx nodded. Ryan wasn't himself in hospitals. He was restless. His nerve system working was a sign he was making a full recovery with not too much damage done. Which was very lucky. Very lucky indeed. And he was beyond grateful he'd fought with death and won.

* * *

"Wolfe is an interesting character, huh?"

Calleigh looked up at Speedle. "Yeah. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have ever known." "Known what?" The blonde huffed. "That ' bad back ' is a euphemism for not passing the psych evaluation." Tim instantly realised what she was on about and nodded. He had no idea she had found out only by Ryan telling her. That wasn't great. And it must've sucked. Hagen had been hospitalized for his mentality only a few weeks later. Ryan saved her from a lot of misunderstanding. Something that could've exploded in her face. Warning signs that something was wrong. Calleigh owed that to him. She secretly wouldn't let it go.

Tim decided to change the subject. "Delko is already flirting with Davies." "I know. But it's not as bad as him doing the dirty in public behind a club." They both burst out laughing as they headed back to their Hummer. They'd just finished processing a crime scene and had evidence to analyze.

Neither were wrong about Delko and Davies. Eric had been staring at the Boston CSI at first glance. Second person from Boston. Only it was a woman. And where there's a woman, there's a Delko chatting her up. At least that's what his colleagues associated him with. A quote that they unintentionally made up. It just happened. And just because Ryan started it.. didn't mean that they couldn't make it catch on. The youngest CSI was lyrically gifted.

It was when Tim was heading to an interrogation, he saw the news on the TV screen. A fire at his wife's work place. He had to make sure she was okay. "Hey, Cal, could you do the interrogation.. I have.. personal things.. I need to do." Calleigh agreed. She arrived a few minutes later and he handed over the case file, before rushing to the law firm where Maddie Speedle worked. Horatio had already seen the news and wasn't going to punish Tim for caring about his spouse's safety. That was his wife for heaven's sake.

It was times like this, Calleigh realised how lonely she was. But she composed herself and made her way into the interrogation room where her suspect was being held in the wait for questioning. They'd worked too long and too hard on this case for it to flop now. She had a job to do, with, or without, a partner. He'd be back soon anyway. Both of them. Ryan had only two months left of leave based on how swiftly he was recovering and Tim was only facing a few moments off for personal reasons. They could understand that.

Speedle arrived at his wife's law firm. He rushed over to her. She was being treated by a paramedic. "Babe! Are you okay?" Maddie chuckled. "I'm okay, Timmy. Stop worrying." Tim sighed in relief, sitting beside his wife and embracing her. He had almost had a heart attack when he saw the fire. Her safety had been his number one concern. And Maddie could tell. There was no reason for her to be jealous of Eric when Tim would pause what he was doing in his own busy work life to check up on her. When he could have done it later. It showed he did care. And that she wasn't alone in this. He married the woman he loved.

"I'm taking you home after this."

"Tim, I'm fine."

"Please Mads? Just play along for me."

Madison shook her head and grinned. "Love to."

The trace expert grinned in response. Panic was over. She was okay. He had her in his arms. Nothing to worry about.

Why he had questioned their marriage was beyond his knowledge. It was perfect. They were perfect. There wasn't a reason he should risk trying another possibility when he wanted this to work in the first place. They'd known each other years before. So the evolution from friendship to a relationship came easily.

Tim had everything he needed right there. That was that.


End file.
